Top down, first person, or side scrolling - the action never stops. Conquering, warring, sparring to save the world or end it, these games will have you thinking about each move you make and you’ll either come away as the hero, or the villain.
10. Tower of Time
“Tower of Time Combat Trailer”
The world is quiet and empty. Technology and magic have combined to create the world of Artara. After a massive earthquake, a gigantic tower is discovered underneath the rubble and several brave adventurers decide to traverse the strange new structure and see if they can’t salvage anything from it. Your only job … is to keep them all alive.
Tower of Time is a self described ‘classic RPG’ that brings to the table a new system of combat, stunning graphics, incredible and diverse characters, and a great soundtrack. Tower of Time challenges the usual formula of tactical RPG games and their combat systems, even if the story is a little generic at the beginning. The producers knew what they were doing when they took the old formulas of RPG’s, because the end result is a quiet and somber storyline with fun combat and even difficulty levels.
You can choose how easy you want your fights to be, because they’re central to the game for sure, but not the main focus. If you like a challenge alongside your exploration, the ‘Epic’ difficulty setting will give you just that. And instead of pausing in real time to strategize against your enemies, you’re given the option to slow down the hands of time, quicken them, or keep them the same. Skill trees and EXP have been fine tuned also, making for a more streamlined, clean experience with the overall style and feeling of the game. Tower of Time’s gameplay is just as good as the story, and that’s why it’s one of the best games out there for Tactical RPG fans.
A party of adventurers stand outside the entrance of the mysterious Tower of Time.
Heroes and enemies face off within the lava-lit pit on the first floor (?) of the tower. Look out for that fireball!
9. Wasteland 2
“Wasteland 2 - Launch Trailer”
A nuclear grip shook the world when the United States and Soviet Union’s quiet cold war became a very real and inevitable one. In this alternate timeline, different groups vye for control of the vast Arizona desert. The year is 2012, and the war isn’t over just yet.
With threat of extinction of all human life, radioactive monsters crawling among the sand, grand weapons of a time before apocalypse, and party members that feel important to the lore no matter their class, Wasteland 2 is a game that’ll keep your blood pumping in your veins. With each party member you make being completely customizable to better suit their class and abilities, it’s no wonder this game was an instant hit among the RPG genre. It’s quick, it’s full of rich lore, and it’s action packed like a James Bond movie.
Wasteland 2’s sure to give you your money’s worth, especially so if you like story driven characters and great graphics. Strap your boots on, get your glasses ready, and make sure you’re tracking your radioactivity levels - This future’s just as harsh and unforgiving as the Arizona sun.
The Rangers gather and debate literally going to Hell. They’ve just saved Fred Darvis, so why not?
The party stays alert. There could be a sniper among this old trainyard … Or worse.
8. WARTILE
“Wartile Release Trailer”
A sprawling landscape with castles, treasure, and monsters stretches out to the horizon in front of you. Several Viking warriors wait to either prove themselves, or to end up at the gates of Valhalla. It’s up to you to give them their glorious end, or a harsh victory.
WARTILE’s game layout is very similar to a Dungeons and Dragons map. There are many detailed figurines and stacked tiles that indicate the terrain, and the real-time in game decisions make you feel like you’re strategizing upon a tactician’s map. If you enjoy playing the role of the Dungeon Master or if you want to practice it, then WARTILE will give you the full experience of running a campaign. And even if you don’t have any experience with D&D, then this game’s enticing graphics, fast action, and cute miniature scenes is enough of a pull inwards.
You can also switch up which side you’re playing as, if the prospect of always thwarting the bad guys gets boring and you’d rather be the one doing the ransacking of castles. If you’re a hardcore campaigner, a casual strategy game fan, or you just like the look and style of the game, WARTILE is a promising and fun addition to the genre of Tactical RPG that will give you hours full of entertainment.
The castle is under siege! Let’s hope that miss Volva of the Living has enough muscle power to stop the invasion.
Adventurers gather around a table when enemies jump out from the darkness in this mineshaft styled map!
7. Darkest Dungeon
“Darkest Dungeon - Terror and Madness Trailer (OFFICIAL)”
Nightmares have gripped the world by the throat in an attempt to drown hope and joy in despair. You must stop it … you are the only one who can stop the onslaught of twisted and miserable enemies, no matter the cost.
This brutal RPG is stylized with hand drawn graphics and depressing layers of grief, hard choices, and afflictions of the mind and body. Darkest Dungeon is the side of adventuring and fighting to save the world that we rarely see within the genre, and it’s sure to be upfront about the grotesque, painful ways that your party can die or become afflicted by curses, mental illnesses, disease, or starvation. Stylized with a certain gothic accent in both the narration and the location, Darkest Dungeon plays as good as it looks.
Keeping your party alive has always been a challenge, but this merciless RPG gives the player about eight challenges on top of keeping your cleric alive and well. There are a myriad of ways that a party member can die, and when they’re gone? You’ll never see them again. The gameplay, the enemy difficulty, and the overhanging feeling of dread whenever you begin or continue a run through is enough to leave you questioning your choices long after you’ve saved and quit. Will you fall to despair too? Or will you rise above it all, no matter the cost?
A mob of grotesque, mutated beasts and depraved humans attacks the party. This is just some of the sprite work that makes the game feel grave and eerie.
The knight cannot stand the sight of the worm beast. Kill it quickly or he’ll suffer for it!
6. King’s Bounty: The Legend
“King’s Bounty Trailer 1”
An ordinary man meant to perform a simple task messes it up in a way that benefits him entirely by accident in this game. Bill Gilbert’s life of servitude to the crown is disrupted when he finds a special chest, and the game from then on out is not only to keep him alive, but to eventually find a way to reverse what he’s done.
This remaster of the very first King’s Bounty is well deserving of its spot on this list. With updated graphics, a more polished storyline, better rewards, and more effective and quicker combat, it’s not hard to see why. You do feel like you’re in Gilbert’s shoes as he manages the crown’s army and tends to his workers, especially so when a handful of them die that you’ve been looking after for so long. King’s Bounty: The Legend’s best gameplay comes from one simple task: Resource management.
While you play as the King’s treasure hunter, you’ve got to keep an eye on the troops, their health, how much treasure you have for yourself, and the different statistics of the people you’re in charge of since Gilbert cannot do any fighting by himself. You can also get married and have children, which isn’t as easy as it sounds (as anyone married would know.) Managing the kingdom’s financial gains, your family, and your own garrison of warriors is a task that not everyone can handle. But if you think you’ve got what it takes, then step into Bill Gilbert’s shoes and show the world your talents.
A group of warriors faces off against these deadly plants.
These colorful graphics make the game easy on the eyes and fun to play. This courtyard’s been decorated to the player’s liking.
5. Valkyria Chronicles
“Valkyria Chronicles - ‘Steam’ Launch Trailer”
With two different superpowers at war, Valkyria Chronicles begins in the year 1935. This long running game pits you against the Autocratic East Europan Imperial Alliance, and it has all the rush and consequences of war, leaving nothing out.
Valkyria Chronicles’ storyline is complex, deeply written, and not without its own ups and downs and twists and turns. The graphics aren’t bad considering the game’s age either, and there’s something satisfying about this kind of tactical planning you have to do in order to ensure the victory of the rebelling Alliance’s forces. The way that the players on the map are given their own cinematic for attacking is somewhat reminiscent of the Fire Emblem series.
It’s this cinematic that makes it stand out above all these other games, since until now, you’ve been viewing the action from a top down, full map standpoint. But by taking these little chess pieces so to speak and giving them their own spotlight on the battlefield, you’re able to watch in real time as your units succeed or die. This raises the stakes immensely, especially if you become particularly attached to a unit. Sacrifices must be made in war - who will you allow to die so that your side will win?
This soldier unit is in position to take out the tank, if it doesn’t get her first!
Your allies ride on a tank to the next battlefield.
4. Shadowrun: Dragonfall
“Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Official Trailer”
The year is sometime after 2050, and civilization as we know it has changed forever. Long gone are the days of simple humanity, as people have transformed into orcs and elves alike. You’re a Shadowrunner - A thief - tasked with a great duty. But on the job, you awaken a long slumbering threat …
This game’s set in the Shadowrun universe, which can be a bit of a challenge to get through if you haven’t played the original. There’s a lot of references to the other games, but that’s to be expected since Shadowrun: Dragonfall started as a DLC to the original game. However, that doesn’t stop you from enjoying the action, the storytelling, the lore, or even the gameplay mechanics of this RPG title.
It’s a futuristic game that meshes with the medieval and does so in a way that is unique and refreshing. It doesn’t feel rushed or even incomplete, and even if you have to do a lot of reading and watching or playing of the first game to understand Dragonfall, it’s still an immersive, fast paced tactical game that makes each choice and battle you fight feel worth it. You end up wanting to save this world and all its bizarre people, just for the great storytelling and graphics alone. If you love cyberpunk games, this is right up your alley.
A woman stands in the middle of the street and waits for the player to guide her along. The boxy, cyberpunk graphics are like this the whole way through.
Stranded in a downtown area next to the metro system, which way would you go?
3. Braveland Pirate
“Braveland Pirate Trailer”
Treasure, ocean, duels, and drama - this game’s got it all! Captain Jim’s search for the Eternal treasure will lead you across the seven seas and back again, so I hope you’ve got your sea legs ready!
This 2D adventure game and tactical RPG is just downright cute. With the stylized people and the chess-like maps, every level is fun to play as it is to look at. The third installation in the Braveland series, this is arguably the best of the trio. The combat’s much quicker, the rewards are much more satisfying, and the feeling of sinking enemy ships with your own ragtag group of pirates is one of the best treasures you get (besides gold.) The heavily stylized enemies are also easy to look at, so you don’t risk a lot of eye strain when you’re fighting octopi with swords.
And more than that, this game is just funny. The humor isn’t too campy or cheesy, the writing knows how to make fun of itself, and the replayability value is high when you’re looking for a few hours of casual fun. What’s more exciting than life on the high seas? Easy, life on the high seas among friends!
If you want to get to the treasure, you’ll have to defeat these wolves and enemy pirates first.
This snowy setting is mixing things up from what you expect from pirate games (sun, ocean, sharks, seagulls, etc.)
2. The Banner Saga
“The Banner Saga - Launch Trailer”
The world has been bathed in an eternal twilight. The sun shines no more as the world is invaded by bloodthirsty people known only as the Dredge. Their mission is to eradicate the human race, and yours is to stop them.
This stunning 2D style visual novel game is set inside of Norse myths and has all the weight and storytelling of an ancient prophecy. Combined with the orchestral soundtrack, innovative gameplay, and great character design and narration, this is easily one of the best games on this entire list. The Banner Saga is much more than just a video game - It is a timeless story, an emotion, and the suffering of humankind when pitted against the supernatural.
As far as gameplay goes, between the visual novel style story there are battles to be won in order to keep your kind from going extinct. There are factions, fights between vital characters, deaths of people important both in and outside of the story, betrayal, love, family, and that is what makes this game feel human above all else. It’s got the sense of importance that doesn’t let it suffocate the storyline, but rather, it flourishes underneath the drama of sentient life on a planet that wishes it dead. If you decide to play any of the games on this list, I very highly recommend you at least try this one.
The party members face off against the inhuman Dredge in this turn-based combat system.
Your soldiers march in the harsh winter to war with the Dredge, a somber, but beautiful scene.
1. Divinity: Original Sin 2
“Divinity: Original Sin 2 Trailer”
Rivellon is a continent rife with warring factions. In the middle of it all is you, the player character known only as the ‘Godwoken.’ An accident leaves you on the shores of Fort Joy after escaping a life of servitude, and from there, you realize your destiny - be it good, or evil.
Continuing from the first Divinity: Original Sin, the second game follows the same path of righteousness and divine power. Your player character starts off as small and weak, but soon transcends their own humanity to become divine and ageless - a concept that mortals will not soon forget, a force within the shell of the body you began with. Combat starts off simple enough with turn based enemies, but by the end the enemies you fight will become more grandeur. This makes it feel like you really have progressed on your self made journey, no matter which class or race you choose.
There are several races to choose from in Divinity: Original Sin 2, and each have their own pros and cons. You have complete control over your character, their motivations, their stats, their powers, and the godhood that they’ll eventually grow into. The only limitation is one per game, but with steam mods, that should be no problem. You can also play online against friends or strangers in sort of a virtual game of checkers … with higher stakes. The world of Rivellon needs its new Divine, and you’re the best suited for it.
The player character and their party look over the ruins of a once bustling castle, complete with the flowing waterfall.
Ouch! The Red Prince attacks their enemies with blood based magic.
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